Midway pt. 2 No Doors
My sister and I made it to The Splint. It was a worn down multi leveled barn with a few coats of paint. It was less than expected and somehow exactly what I was expecting. As we walked closer to the entrance I noticed there was a couple laid out on the ground making out in the mud like pigs just outside the front doors. My first step through the rickety doors was met by the smell of beer, sex, and sweat. My next step was cut short.
Barman- hey wipe your feet at the door , we ain't animals
He wanted me to wipe my feet before walking into a room full of people drinking and having sex. I didn't wear shoes so I didn't mind cleaning myself before going further, but the only thing in sight to use for the job was a cloth laying on a near by table. I wiped my feet with it and found that it was wet with a substance that felt like cream. Of course I knew what it was , and it seemed the barman did as well from his laughter as I threw the cloth away from myself.
We walked up to the bar as the barman was handing out drinks. It was rare seeing anyone who wasn't a monkey, lion, reptile, or hyena in the kingdom, but even more rare were half breeds. The barman seemed to be a mix of lion and hyena. He was a big man with spotted fur and a mane nowhere near big enough to hide his thick roles of chin. How he managed to fit behind the bar much less move was a mystery.
Par- I'm looking for my brother
Barman- who's your brother
Strange question. We were of the royal family but my ego wasn't big enough to find it unbelievable that he wouldn't know who we were.
Par- his name is Louis, he's a hyena, a little taller than me , he caries a set of gold daggers
He wasn't listening to a word I said , his eyes seemed to be on my sister standing behind me.
Par - have you seen him
Barman- sorry kid , that don't sound like anyone I know but tell you what ,
He licked his lips and a few drops of spit landed on the bar and almost on me.
Barman - if you give me some time with your friend maybe then I'll remember something
Par - my friend? You mean my sister!?
Even with her standing behind me I knew she was ready to claw his throat out. I heard her grip the sword on her hip and knew nothing good would come of it.
Par- that's not gonna happen, but look I can pay you for information if that's what you need
Before I could pull a single coin from my pocket my sister had already pushed me aside. She gripped the barman by the chest fur tuffed out of his shirt and held her sword to his throat.
Sky - we are in a hurry, now if you would kindly point the way to our brother we would appreciate your cooperation
The barman didn't seem phased even as my sisters blade was pressed to his adams apple.
Barman- calm down princess, your brother is upstairs
Par- Sky maybe we should put away the sword
It became apparent that we were being watched by the patrons. My sister slowly released the large man and sheathed her sword. She was steaming but I stepped back in front of her before she could rethink her course of action.
Par- what floor is he on
Barman- third floor, last room on the right , try not to step in anything on your way up kid
I started to head up stairs but Sky wasn't following behind me.
Par- aren't you coming with me
Sky- I think you can take it from here brother, I've had my fill of camaraderie for the night
She started to leave and the barman was obviously watching as she did so.
Barman- see you around princess
I could hear him laughing as I continued up the stairs. There was a deep scent filling the air of dirt and musk. There were women running around naked , men passed out on the floor and against the walls. My every foot step seemed to be met by a moisture that only came from sex. How there was so much steam might have confused me if I could first understand how there were so many people in such a small barn like building.
I made it to the third floor and as I walked down the hallway there were no doors to hide the many deeds of men and women that got worse as I walked deeper into the madness. Making it to the last room on the right was a battle, there was so much that called for my attention and I was unsure weather I would enjoy giving in to that call. I don't know if I found what my curiosity was looking for , but I found enough to stay with me for a long while after leaving that place.
I found my brother, luckily he had on pants. He was laying on the floor with a woman under his left arm and a man under his right , they were both monkeys. There was a bed in the room that perhaps they might have slept in but it was against the wall blocking the window. I stepped further into the dimly lit room and squatted over my brother lightly shaking him awake. He wouldn't get up. There was a bucket of water in the corner. I thought I could wake him with a quick splash, but once I picked up the bucket I realized it was not water. I dropped it and piss splashed , that woke my brother , or maybe it was the warm sensation.
Louis - Par , is that you
Par- yes
I helped him to his feet trying not to wake his partners.
Louis - what are you doing here
Par- it's our birthday, mom made a cake, and I thought it might be nice for us all to be there to cut it this year
Louis - you came to a brothel to get me to come home for cake
Par - yes
Louis -I'm sure they have cake here
Par- mom would be happy if we were all together tonight
Louis - sure I get that , but I have these twins and
he was about to offer me the opportunity to lay with his partners , I stopped him.
Par- let's not
The thought of sleeping with someone who I'd have to pay for just didn't feel right, and a person that my brother had already slept with only felt more wrong.
Louis - fair enough
We made our way down stairs and before we could step to the door we were stopped .
Barman- where do you think your going
Par- what
He was talking to Louis.
Louis - I'll pay you next time , besides they passed out when it was getting good
Barman- you owe me for three nights
Louis - I owe you for two and a half , if you want the other half teach your sluts to stay up until sunrise
Barman- you little shit
Louis- hey if you got a problem we can take it outside just come from behind the bar
The barman went silent before he started laughing and so did Louis and a number of patrons standing at the bar. I didn't get the joke.
Barman- get the fuck out of here
Louis - you get the fuck out of here
We started walking to the door as everyone continued laughing. I waited till we were outside to say anything.
Par- what was so funny
Louis - he wasn't about to leave that bar for a while
Par- but why
Louis - everyone knows if Frank is behind the bar he probably has someone back there with him
I still didn't get it.
Louis - on their knees
Par- I'm sorry, are you saying someone was...
Louis - yep
Par - oh
It wouldn't take us long to get back to the castle, we had horses.
Louis - so why did you really come find me
Par- I told you , it'll mean a lot to mom
Louis - sure , but mom knows I'm not one for all the ceremony crap, she would have been fine , so why come find me
When your a part of a royal family one might say you live by a different set of rules. One rule that my siblings and I all know is never to say "I don't know". When you say those 3 words your basically stating that your incompetent or worse naive. Even if it's something you would have no way of knowing you never let anyone know. And it's important to understand the rule of "I don't know " only mattered when dealing with other royals or people in the castle. We weren't in the castle and my brother would not have cared if I said "I don't know" and I should have known that, but perhaps our nearing the castle walls made me more uptight. Rather than answer I went silent and hopped we would move on as if nothing was said at all. I thought it better to be silent than admit you don't know something. That did not work.
Louis -I'm waiting
If I couldn't be silent my only other option was to be honest.
Par- I was curious
Louis - of what
Par- stuff
Louis -are you gonna make me work for this
Par- you go there often , and I believe I know why
I definitely knew why.
Par- but I've never ...
Louis - you've never...
Par- I've never been with a woman, or a male , I've never been with anyone
Louis - and you want to
Par- yes
Louis - then what are we doing trying to go cut a cake
I went silent again.
Louis - you know the twins you found me with , that doesn't mean I'm secretly into you or something
Par- what
Louis - I'm just saying, they were monkeys, your a monkey, but there is no connection
Par- I know that
Louis -just making sure
We made it to the castle and took a secret entrance inside.
Louis - you know The Splint is the perfect place for you to do whatever it is you want to do
Par- I just don't think it would be good for me to partake in the people that work there
Louis - but I do , are you trying to say there's something wrong with me
Par - no , no not at all
Louis - I'm fucking with you , but if that's not your kind of place I'd be happy to help you find one
Par- really
Louis - sure , but you'll owe me one
Par- one of what
Louis - don't know yet